Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Filling

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Filling (Adapted from Food and Wine)

For the cupcakes

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water

For the filling

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup Marshmallow Fluff
1 1/2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cream

For the frosting

1/4 cup cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

To prepare the cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together egg yolks, canola oil, 1/2 cup sugar and water until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir by hand just until combined.

In a clean medium bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until stiff and glossy. Beat one quarter of the whites into the batter to lighten the mixture. Add remaining whites and gently fold the mixture together until no streaks remain.

Evenly divide the batter between the wells of a 12 cup muffin tin coated with nonstick spray (they will be about one-half full). Bake until the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched in the center, about 13 to 16 minutes. Remove and let the cupcakes cool slightly before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare the filling

In a medium bowl, beat together butter, confectioners' sugar, Fluff and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the heavy cream until fluffy. Reserve 1/2 cup of the filling - transfer the rest to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4" plain round tip. Beat remaining 1 teaspoon of cream into the reserved 1/2 cup of filling, cover and reserve.

Gently insert the tip of the pastry bag about 1/2" deep into the bottom of each cupcake - lightly squeeze some of the filling into the cupcake.

To prepare the frosting

In a small saucepan, heat cream until steaming. Remove from the heat, add chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until smooth. Transfer the frosting to a small bowl and dip the top of each cupcake to thoroughly coat. Spoon the reserved filling into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain tip and pipe swirls across the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 10 minutes to set the frosting.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

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